By Muhannad Salami
Russia has once again strengthened control over Syria, saying that it is one of the forces trying to find a solution to put an end to the ongoing conflict.
Moscow currently plays an important diplomatic role in the Syrian issue, one of the largest manifestations of the Sochi conference organized by Moscow, in reviving a kind of polarization with the United States and its allies, as it was during the Cold War.
Syria is the only way for Moscow to achieve this goal. Russia blocked any attempt to overthrow the Syrian regime and used the right of veto to neutralize in the UN any project that goes in this direction.
Moscow also benefited from Donald Trump’s foreign policy to open new gates in the Middle East through Egypt (nuclear reactor agreement) and Libya (supported by Khalifa Haftar).
Russia saw its presence in Syria as a platform for returning to the Middle East and strengthening its influence, along with the main goal of helping it in the fight against terrorism, especially in Idlib, a stronghold of takhirism. Driving Syria and the Syrians in recent years, she is now trying to stabilize the status quo, speeding up the drafting of a new constitution for Syria, holding parliamentary elections and stabilizing the Syrian government.
But the facts on the ground reflect the adoption of other measures: the city of Idlib and its rural areas require a quick decision to stop violations and abuses. In Idlib, new battles take place, despite the truce.
North of Syria, in particular Idlib, faces an expected and decisive battle: from Khan Toman in the southern countryside of Aleppo to the Sarkab and Khan Sheikhun areas in the southeastern Idlib countryside, in Morak in the northern Hama countryside.
Many armed groups with different ideologies, links, and funding sources are much more likely to coexist in a single geographic area, such as Idlib, which is publicly viewed in the ranks of its fighters as a result of hostilities and conflicts, continuous elimination operations and numerous violations, the Syrian army without hesitation responded to these sources.
The military campaign under the leadership of the Syrian army and with the help of the allies was necessary to put an end to the abnormal situation that could continue, but it had many options – from open war and guerrilla war to concrete operations behind enemy lines. This battle will “break the bones”. Following the scale of military buildup, corridors and mechanisms of the Syrian army and armored vehicles that cross the south, east and west to the north through Syrian cities, realize that the battle of Idlib has become a reality.
(The opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of World Geostrategic Insights).